Kickin' it in Cape Town

Last week I traveled to Cape Town to spend some time with my sister Jesse, who’s studying abroad at UCT, as well as to perform as the featured artist at the Verses Poetry Session.

I was already a big fan of Cape Town after the last time I visited back in October, but with it now being summertime down here in the southern hemisphere, I fell deeply in love with this place all over again. I still believe that, despite its often sour reputation, Johannesburg is the gem of South Africa. Like a fine wine that one slowly but surely acquires a taste and fondness for. Cape Town on the other hand, is like a big jug of mama’s homemade Kool-Aid. As soon as you taste it, you can’t get enough. You’re immediately enraptured by the natural beauty of Table Mountain, the converging shores of the Indian and Atlantic Ocean, the eclectic mix of European and African cultures, and how all of the girls in Cape Town seem curiously and captivatingly good-looking.

I had a great time kicking it with Jess, going to the beach, people watching at UCT, partying with the Cape Town GRS Interns, and hanging with my old Davidson bud Jessica Walker, who’s getting her masters at Africa’s top university.

The week in Cape Town concluded with my show at the Verses poetry session. The setting was intimidate, the audience was energetic, and everyone seemed very receptive to my work. And between Jesse, Jess Walker, the GRS interns, and all of these people’s respective friend groups, it was awesome see some familiar faces and have my own unwavering cheering section in the crowd. I did some old classics as well as some new pieces. The night was great and I’m glad I’ll be making my way back to Cape Town soon.

Below you’ll find one of the newer pieces I’ve written, ‘Dear South African Girl’, performed recently at the African Leadership Academy. Check it out, pass it along, and I hope you enjoy: